The $64 million transport plan

The city council has recommended a $10m Domain Road upgrade as part of $64m in transport spending over the next three years. Photo: Supplied.

Councillors are recommending Tauranga City Council embark on a $64 million transport plan over the next three years in three main bundles.

These are: Providing better transport choices – improved walking, cycling and public transport; Reliable journey times for people and freight – lane and intersection capacity improvements; Improving safety on our roads – targeted safety projects, speed management and minor improvements.

For the first three years of the plan the proposed spending for ‘Providing better transport choices' is $39.9million, with highlights including a $12m cycle plan delivery and a $10m Domain Road upgrade.

There will also be $6.4m spent on cycle and pedestrian improvements in Mount Maunganui; Totara Street, Maunganui Road, Marine Parade and Blake Park.

Nothing much happens in the `Reliable journey times for people and freight' category for the first three years of the plan – apart from minor intersection works; $340k at Te Maire Street, $2.1m at Elizabeth Street/Takitimu Drive, $2.5m at Cameron road/15thAvenue and $1.05m at Brakes Corner.

The big ticket item in this category is $51.4m proposed to be spent widening 15th Avenue. But because it is in the second triennium of the plan it can be altered or removed entirely when the Long Term Plan is again reviewed in 2020.

Also included in the years 4-10 of the LTP is $6.3m on 15th Avenue and Fraser Street corridor management projects.

In the improving safety category the council proposes spending $15.9m in the first three years of the next Long Term Plan.

The big item here is $6.2m upgrading street lighting – ditching sodium vapour lamps in favour of LEDs. There is a $4.5m minor improvements programme, and $1.6m to be spent on intersection improvements and $1m on Windsor road area traffic management.

The last two categories are; Creating well connected communities and local services, improved connections for all modes to local services or housing – and, Creating a transport network that enhances the attractiveness and liveability of the urban Environment.

Projects in the first category generally involve upgrading semi-rural roads to an urban standard to support land use changes. This gets $9.6m. The second category receives $5.6m to be spent on programmes to improve urban centres.

There's also $16.4 million allocated for the Harington Street car park building.

'Whilst projects have been categorised as primarily relating to one of these priorities, most transport projects contribute to a range of them,” says council transport planning engineer Clare Cassidy in her report.

'As an example, since vulnerable road users are a key safety issue for the city most bike and pedestrian improvements also relate to improving road safety, improving connections to local services, and often have a liveability benefit also.”

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8 comments

Funding and a 4 lane bridge for Turret Rd

Posted on 21-11-2017 11:57 | By Murray.Guy

QUESTION: Councillors are recommending Tauranga City Council embark on a $64 million transport plan over the next three years. DOES the $64 million include the 50% NZTA subsidy reducing the debt impact to $32 million, or is the actual estimated value of works $120 million? PLEASE tell me that ANY future 'Central Corridor/Hairini' improvements includes a four land bridge (with an attached off road shared cycle/walkway) as without this everything else is a waste! Please tell me a 'fresh set of eyes and OPEN ears' will be consulting on, and managing outcomes!


$12 million on cycleways?

Posted on 21-11-2017 12:27 | By SML

What is the TCC thinking? That will take a few recreational cyclists off the roads - but the bumper-to-bumper traffic queues won't be helped on little bit! We live on Cameron Road, and it's a total shambles, and difficult to get out of one's own driveway... and that doesn't count all the OTHER traffic bottlenecks around the city! With over 100 new families coming into Tauranga, most with at least one car per family, sorting out the ever-increasing traffic situation is FAR more a priority than spending $12 million on cycleways!


Waste of time

Posted on 21-11-2017 13:34 | By rastus

Here we go again with the senseless greenies spending megabucks of ratepayers money of cycleways used only by a handful of cyclists who contribute nothing to our society excepting it makes them feel good.


Hear no evil, See no evil

Posted on 21-11-2017 14:55 | By backofthequeue

My response to Murray Guy when wishing for a 'fresh set of eyes and OPEN ears' is quite simply "Don't hold your breath".


@ SML

Posted on 21-11-2017 20:26 | By MISS ADVENTURE

It is all about "feel good", not realistic or practical stuff. in fact there is a deliberate plan to make the traffic conjested on Cameron Road so as people will move over and use Route K. The actual logic and common sense of that is in the microscopic category, so small that its befitting of teh little minds that created it in the first place.


Aww c'mon council, you're me kidding again??

Posted on 21-11-2017 20:37 | By inthweedz

You guys at the Council got it all back to front, get the traffic flowing first, then parking, then worry about the cyclists and lighting,, Sheesh you don't have to be a brain surgeon to see it in that order..


@ backofthequeue

Posted on 21-11-2017 23:16 | By MISS ADVENTURE

Yes, the entire scheme here is to look at only what suits the purpose and desired answer, ignore feverishly all else possible as it just gets in the way of the desired answer of a bigger larger and more widespread pile of officals crawling all over everything.


Same old same old from the same old.

Posted on 22-11-2017 07:01 | By Cynical Me

If we keep doing what we have always done why would we expect a different result?Total lack of reality and imagination. Sucking up to the hopeless again. No relief for Barkes Corner or any on/off ramps from the expressway so called. Need them at 15th and 11th ave. Not a hard to do. Now if we didn't have safe national seats we would get some money spent.


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